Sakura is one of the most popular restaurant onboard Explora but you can make a reservation or try your luck for a seat at the sushi bar.

It was also our first real disappointment. We are lucky to live in Vancouver, Canada, one of the best cities in the world for Asian food so are maybe a bit too picky.

The tempura shrimp roll was the best dish of the meal. Four of us had a piece and looked forward to the rest.

The crispy langoustine roll was also a hit and the pomelo salad a perfect bright addition.

We all liked the soft shell crab and again the accompanying salad was excellent but it wasn’t really a tempura batter. I don’t think it was rice flour.

The quality of the sushi was good. We had a double order so there would be a piece for everyone. The ahuri was a bit of a disappointment. Not like anything I’ve had in Vancouver or Japan.

The Pad Thai was the big disappointment though. There were few or no bean sprouts, no crispy bits of tofu and the overall flavour was sweet, missing the savoury, sour balance.

The service needs work too. First we were told it would be served family style but then we were told to order individually and other than the sushi were served individually. I was surprised that the sushi for 4 didn’t come on one platter and had we ordered and been served family style we would have had a more interesting and better meal.

One of our party had the Black Angus Steak Teriyaki. It came quite cold and didn’t benefit from being reheated. The spinach that came with it got a thumbs up though.